Across Canada various jurisdictions are reviewing their statutory leaves and proposing/implementing new ones. Here are a few more that you should be aware of:

British Columbia
As of November 28, 2025, the Employment Standards Act has been updated to include a new job protected medical leave that allows employees to take up to 27 weeks (in a 12-month period) for “serious personal injury or illness”. Unlike with sick days, this medical leave does allow employers to request a medical certificate from a designated health professional confirming the employee is unable to work, the date the leave begins and the expected return‑to‑work date.

Saskatchewan
As of January 1, 2026, the following leaves will be updated/implemented in the Saskatchewan Employment Standards Act:

  • Sick Leave: Long-term sick leave is extended from 12 to 27 weeks to support employees dealing with “prolonged illness or injury”.
  • Bereavement Leave: Eligibility for employees would be expanded to allow use of the current five unpaid days to be used within six months of a death, and with extended eligibility to “like family” relationships and for a pregnancy loss.
  • Maternity Leave: Eligibility for employees would be expanded to include employees who experience pregnancy loss within twenty (20) weeks of their due date.
  • Interpersonal or Sexual Violence Leave: Employees will be eligible to receive additional time off if they are a victim of interpersonal or sexual violence. In addition to the existing 10 day leave (five days paid and five days unpaid), employees will be eligible to up to 16 weeks unpaid leave (to be taken in one continuous period within 52-weeks).

Ontario
As of November 27, 2025, the Employment Standards Act has been updated to include a new job seeking leave for employees that are part of a mass layoff to take up to 3 days of unpaid leave during the notice period for job searches, interviews, and training.

Federal
As of December 12, 2025, federally regulated workers have access to the following updated/implemented job protected leaves:

  • Pregnancy Loss Leave: Employees will have access to up to eight weeks of unpaid leave following a pregnancy loss as defined. The first three days of the leave would be paid for employees that have three months of employment.
  • Bereavement Leave: Employees will have access to an additional eight weeks of unpaid leave following the the death of their child or the child of their spouse or common-law partner.
  • Placement of Child Leave: Employees will have access to 16 weeks of unpaid leave following the the placement of a child into their care through adoption or surrogacy.

If you would like to discuss any of the above with regards to your business in greater detail, we recommend reaching out to speak to an e2r® Advisor.